Three well loved and reliable second early varieties make up our Potato Summer Trio collection. Harvest from the middle of July and enjoy these potatoes mashed, roasted, boiled or buttered as well as cold in a salad. Second earlies have good resistance to potato blight and are delicious eaten fresh but can also be left in the ground for a few weeks to elongate the harvest period.
Potato Summer Trio contains 2kg each of the following varieties:
Potato ‘Nicola’ - produces good sized crops of uniform, oval tubers with smooth, white skins and shallow eyes. The waxy yellow flesh makes this variety perfect for boiling and eating hot or cold as a salad potato. Potato ‘Nicola’ shows good resistance to eelworm and potato scab and has good storage abilities. Height and spread: 60cm (24").
Potato ‘Charlotte’ - A well loved second early salad variety producing pear-shaped, yellow skinned, waxy tubers with flavoursome creamy-yellow flesh which can be enjoyed eaten either hot or cold. Potato 'Charlotte' is an award winning variety which is often found in the supermarket. Height and spread: 60cm (24").
Potato ‘Maris Peer’ -Loved by restaurants and gardeners alike. The firm creamy-yellow flesh of Potato 'Maris Peer' keeps its colour and has a fantastic flavour, keeping its shape when cooked. This superb second early variety also boasts wonderful, lightly fragranced purple blooms. Height and spread: 60cm (24").
Growing Information
Second cropping potatoes do not require 'chitting' and should be planted as soon as they are received. When planting late potatoes in bags, fill an 8 litre potato bag to just below the top of the bag with good quality compost mixed with some well rotted manure. Carefully plunge a single potato tuber into the compost with the shoots pointing upwards at a depth of 12cm (5") from the soil surface. Place the bags in a sunny position and water regularly to keep the compost moist.
When growing second cropping potatoes in the ground avoid planting in soil where potatoes have grown for two years in succession as this will increase the risk of disease. Prepare the planting area in a sheltered position in full sun on moist well drained soil. Dig in plenty of well rotted manure. Plant potatoes in rows at spacing of 45cm (18"). Rows should be set out 75cm (2’, 6") apart. Place the seed potatoes into 10cm (4") deep trenches and backfill the soil to refill the trenches. If risk of frost threatens, protect emerging shoots by drawing some soil over the top of them.
